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Gingerbread Candied Almonds (Gebrannte Mandeln)

adapted from TheKitchenMaus.com

Ingredients
  • 2 cups raw almonds
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Lebkuchen Spice, recipe follows or substitute 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1½ teaspoon vanilla sugar
  • 1 pinch sea salt
Lebkuchen Spice blend
  • 1 tablespoon + ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground anise
  • ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
Instructions

  1. Line a sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper and set aside. Prepare the spice blend, which makes an abundance for multiple batches.

  2. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar with 2 teaspoons of the spice blend, vanilla sugar, and salt.

  3. In a 10-inch skillet or frying pan over moderate heat, bring to boil the water and the spiced sugar mixture. Once the whole surface is bubbling, add the almonds and stir to coat. Cook for 8–10 minutes stirring frequently in the beginning and constantly towards the end of the process as the water evaporates. The sugar will begin to turn powdery during the last couple minutes.

  4. Keep stirring constantly through the powdery phase; the sugar will remelt and begin to slightly glaze the almonds. Take care to stop cooking just short of actually burning the sugar. The instant they are done, pour the almonds onto the parchment paper, and immediately separate any clumps using two forks. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes.